


it's an imperfect magic

by glittergelpens



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, keith is emotionally constipated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-12 19:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7946779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittergelpens/pseuds/glittergelpens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Okay, fine. Yeah. I’ll train you.” Lance jumped for joy, letting out a whoop before engulfing Keith in his arms.<br/>Keith hated hugs.<br/>But Keith loved Lance.<br/>And Lance is an impossible person to stay distant from.<br/>---<br/>AKA Keith didn't even know unreciprocated soulmates were POSSIBLE, so of course fate gave him one and then got him stuck in space with him. </p><p>(Don't worry, the angst doesn't last forever.)<br/>Rated T for language. Mostly Keith's language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. an off day

Keith flipped slowly through his book, taking in none of the story. Words went through his brain without ever leaving a mark, and when he finally snapped to, he’d “read” two unrememberable chapters. He groaned. _I can’t focus_ , he whined to himself. The doors slid open and the reason for his troubled thoughts waltzed right on in like he owned the place. _Lance_. Keith felt his chest constrict. _Don’t look at him, Keith,_ he told himself. _You can get over him. You can- wait, is it even possible to get over your soulmate?_ A small panic coursed through him.  
“What’s got your panties in a twist, sunshine?” Lance asked nonchalantly, settling next to him on the couch. Keith shook his head and rubbed his eyes.  
“Nothing, really, I just can’t focus.” _Only half of a lie_. Lance pursed his lips.  
“What’s this? Mister perfect Keith is having an off day? Why, Hunk, I didn’t know that was possible for cyborgs!” It was a joke, but it stabbed him in the heart like a red hot knife. He sighed.  
“What do you want, Lance?” he asked. Lance smirked, and eyed him carefully.  
“Spar with me,” he suggested. Keith raised a bemused eyebrow. “You’re having an off day, I’m taking my opportunity. Or, what? Are you scared I’ll finally beat you?” he taunted. _Don’t rise to it, Keith_ , he told himself. _Keep your distance, Keith._  
Instead, he dropped his book, not bothering to mark his page, and stood. “Fine. Let’s spar. But don’t get all bitter when you lose.”  
\--  
It was the first day back at his second year of Garrison. Keith took a deep breath and let it out slowly; he could do this. Just two more years. Sitting in his desk, he noticed a fresh face across the room from him- no doubt a first year. While there were quite a few of them, his shining face stood out to Keith- and took his breath away. Keith felt a tug deep in his gut, and he gulped. _Mama always said that happened with soulmates. I wonder._ He stood and, as inconspicuously as possible, made his way across the room to greet the first years.. Well, one particular first year. He stood at the boy’s desk and held out his hand.  
“Hey, I’m Keith. You a first year?” he asked. The boy looked up at him and shook his hand, a skeptical look on his face. As soon as he brushed their hands together, Keith felt a heat ride from his collar bone. _My soulmark. Holy shit. It’s actually him._ The boy dropped his hand and scratched absentmindedly at his head.  
“I mean, yeah, I’m a first year. Don’t you remember me?” he asked, an offended tone to his voice. Keith almost felt rejected by the hostility in his voice. He grimaced.  
“Umm.. no?” he confessed. “Sorry, I’m really bad with-”  
“Oh, come on!” the boy exclaimed. “We were rivals back at the academy! Lance and Keith! Neck and neck! Come on, how do you forget your rival?” he cried. _So his name is Lance._ Keith gulped awkwardly, suddenly realizing that he was sucking at this whole socializing thing. He’d felt a tingle in his soulmark- hadn’t Lance felt it, too? Keith sighed and brought his defenses back up.  
“Maybe if you’d been any competition at all I would have remembered you, cargo pilot.” With that, he turned and marched back to his seat, his mood officially soured.  
The room was eerily silent, but he could hear Lance’s friend mumble to him; “Dude, you just got told.”  
\--  
Keith stood in the center of the room, doing a quick breathing exercise to calm himself down a bit. Lance ambled in behind him, taking his time heading to the weapon rack. Keith opened his eyes and sneered at him.  
“No weapons. Hand to hand first, or I’m not sparring with you.” Lance looked back at him, dumbfounded.  
“What? Why? Afraid I’ll cream you with these practice swords?” Keith smirked.  
“What, are you afraid I’ll cream you with my bare hands?” he challenged. Lance flushed.  
“Dude. Word choice.” Keith thought over what he’d said and flushed a deep scarlet. _This is so not the time to think like that, Keith._ He scowled.  
“Real mature, Lance. Real mature.” Lance shrugged, a playful grin toying at his lips.  
“What can I say? I’m an expert at being _mature_.” Keith sneered at him again, trying to squash the butterflies in his gut.  
“Whatever, let’s just get this over with,” he demanded. They shed their jackets and took their stances in the middle of the room.  
\--  
“Welcome, first years, to your first class here at Garrison. Welcome back, second years. If you’ve not met me before, my name is Ms. Vanderwood,” she informed them, gesturing to her neatly written name on the chalkboard. “As the majority of you likely don’t know one another, we’re going to dedicate our first class period together to ice breakers!”  
The class groaned in unison and she tittered out an annoyingly high pitched laugh. Keith glanced to the empty seat at his side, and missed Shiro. Why did third years have to be in separate classes? Ms. Vanderwood moved to the side of the classroom and picked up a beach ball with ice cubes printed all over it. She held it in front of herself proudly, as though it were a trophy.  
“Now, class,” she began again, “This is the ice breaker ball. You’ll all sit on your desks and toss the ball to one another, and when you catch it, the questions under both of your thumbs will be the ones you are to read aloud and then answer to the class.” Keith grimaced.  
The ball made its way around the room uneventfully, people giving generic and predictable answers as always. Keith’s attention wasn’t piqued until it landed in Lance’s hands. Lance peered curiously at his thumbs.  
“Ah, let’s see, question one. If you could have anyone from history over for dinner, be they alive or dead, who would you choose and why?” Lance furrowed his brows contemplatively. “Why would I want a dead person for dinner? They’d be all stinky and decayed,” he joked. Keith barely kept the smirk from his face. “Uh, okay, let’s go with Megan Fox. She was super hot.” A low laugh murmured through the room, and while Vanderwood looked displeased, she didn’t say anything to him about it. Lance turned the ball in his hands, peering under the other thumb. “Now, question two.. What is one thing that makes you unique from everybody else?” Lance gulped, and looked to his friend. “Is that thing too personal to share with the class, or am I that kind of person?” he asked quietly, bemused. His friend thought about this.  
“If you’re not uncomfortable, then no, it’s not too personal, and yes, you’re definitely that kind of person,” he replied. Lance smiled crookedly.  
“Thanks, Hunk.” He straightened himself and cleared his throat. “I, Lance, am completely unique, because I’m the only person I’ve ever met or heard of that doesn’t have a soulmark.”  
Keith’s heart plummeted. _But you’re my soulmate,_ he thought angrily, _you have to have a soulmark. Unless.._ Keith swallowed. _Oh, god. I’ve only heard of this in tragic novels._  
_Lance is my soulmate._  
_But I’m not his._  
\--  
Keith had Lance pinned to the floor within a minute. The rematch only took forty five seconds, and it only got more embarrassing for Lance from there. Eventually, Keith took pity on him and stood off of him, holding his hand out. “Come on, dude. I think we’re done.” Lance sighed and reached out to take it, giving him a skeptical look. And suddenly, they were back at Garrison, the same tingle coming from Keith’s collarbone all over again. He jerked, nearly dropping Lance entirely, but caught himself in time. Lance stumbled to his feet.  
“What the hell was that about!?” he cried, regaining balance. Keith shook his head, knotting a hand in his hair and scratching his collarbone absentmindedly.  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just- I twitched, and I’ve been off all day, and-” he grumbled and tugged at his hair, settling to tie it back before he yanked it out. Lance eyed him cautiously.  
“Are you okay, Keith?” he worried. Keith’s breath hitched, caught off guard by the concern in Lance’s voice. Keith stared at the floor as he tied his hair up.  
“I’m.. I’m okay, yeah, just weird. Been screwing up everything I do today,” he admitted quietly. Lance pouted.  
“So you’ve been screwing up at everything you do and you still managed to beat me hand to hand in every single one of our fights?” Keith sighed and looked at Lance.  
“Lance, that’s not what I-” he started, but Lance cut him off.  
“No, I didn’t mean it in an offended way. I just mean.. You didn’t seem to be screwing up to me, dude. You fight really, really good. Way better than I do, even on an off day,” he insisted. Keith huffed.  
“You’re a great fighter, Lance. Really, you are. I just... spend too much time in here, I guess,” he admitted. Lance hummed.  
“Will you train me?” he asked. Keith’s heart skipped a beat. He looked Lance in the eyes and saw nothing but hope there.  
“...You want me to be your teacher?” he clarified. Lance nodded. Every siren was screaming in Keith’s head. _Keep your distance. Don’t get too close. But.._ The way Lance held himself, with pride even though he’d lost, and the kindness and intrigue written all over his face. His eyes twinkled, and his crooked smile peeked out, showing his dimple, and-  
“Okay, fine. Yeah. I’ll train you.” _It’s just to keep him safe._ Lance jumped for joy, letting out a whoop before engulfing Keith in his arms.  
Keith hated hugs.  
But Keith loved Lance.  
And Lance is an impossible person to stay away from.


	2. Kangjŏn

“God, I can’t- I can’t stand you!” Lance screamed. Keith took a small step back, trying to evade and not engage. He gulped and focused on keeping his face neutral. “You always act so fucking high and mighty, like you’re the best thing to ever happen to this school, just because you’re number one.” Lance took two steps forward, Keith took two more back. “Well, guess what, pretty boy,” he snarled, finally backing Keith into a wall. “You’re not the best thing. You’re the worst thing to ever walk into my life. I fucking- I fucking hate you, okay? Remember that.” With that, Lance turned and stalked back down the empty hallway. As soon as he turned the corner, a hot tear slipped from the corner of Keith’s eye.   
He skipped the rest of his classes that day.  
\--  
“Is your soulmark on your collarbone?” Lance asked casually. Keith’s heart seemed to stop as he ripped his hand from the spot in question.   
“Why do you want to know?” he demanded. Lance held up his hands in defence.   
“You touch it a lot. When you think, or when you get upset, maybe?” he offered. Keith felt his face flush crimson.   
“I- okay. Fine. Yes. Collar bone. I’m never fucking showing it to you though, and I want to change the subject.” Lance sighed and asked him to explain one of the defensive stances again. Only a week in, and Keith realized he’d bitten off much more than he could chew.   
\--  
The knock at his door was expected. Keith stood from his bed slowly and shuffled over, opening it and staring at the ground. He wasn’t proud of himself. He knew Shiro wouldn’t be, either.   
“Where were you, today? You vanished after lunch,” he asked. Keith wordlessly stepped back to let him in, and then slammed the door and immediately felt the tears rush up again. Shiro was on him in an instant. “Hey, hey, what happened? What’s wrong?” he worried, pushing his hair back and brushing away tears. Keith sat on his bed and took a moment to compose himself. He inhaled deeply and yanked his shirt collar sideways.   
The blue outline of a lion shone proudly on his collarbone, only about an inch long. Shiro inhaled sharply.   
“Keith, it- it’s glowing,” he gasped. “So.. you met them?” Keith rubbed at his eyes again and jerked out a nod.   
“It’s fucking horrible. I know who he is. Lance. Lance A.” Shiro took a moment.   
“That cargo ship pilot in your class?” he asked. Keith nodded.   
“But- but Shiro, my mark must be broken or something, it isn’t right, it’s just messing with my head and-”  
“Hey, hey hey hey. Keith, there’s nothing wrong with being gay-”  
“No, that’s not it,” he insisted. He groaned in frustration, tugging at his hair. “He doesn’t have a fucking soulmark. And he hates me. Quite literally. Cornered me in a hallway today and said it straight to my face. I couldn’t go back in there, so I came home.” Shiro sat next to him and thought for a long moment.   
“I’ve made up my mind,” Shiro announced. “I’m going to kill him.”   
\--  
“Keith, we’ve gone over the basics every day for the past two weeks,” Lance whined. “I’m not doing it again. Come on, let’s go up a level.” Keith ignored him, rummaging through his equipment bag. He took his time, and began wrapping his knuckles. “So?” Lance asked. Keith glanced up at him and smirked.   
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were being serious,” he teased. Lance groaned overdramatically.   
“Come on, Keith! My man! Mister Mullet! Please!” Keith pretended to think about it.   
“Yeah, no.” Lance’s shoulders drooped as he let out a tortured sound.   
“But, Keith-”  
“No.”  
“Why not!?” he cried, exasperated. Keith looked at him carefully, then sighed and sat down on the bench.   
“When I learned this fighting style, my teacher kept me on the basics for five months because I put too much weight on my right foot.” Lance blanched.   
“I’m going to be on the basics for FIVE MONTHS!?” he cried. Keith rolled his eyes.   
“No. We’re paladins of Voltron now, you don’t have that kind of time. But.. But I appreciate that my teacher worked me through that time, because if he hadn’t, everything I learned past that would have been built on a broken foundation. I wouldn’t be able to hold up if he hadn’t.” Lance leaned against the wall and rolled his eyes.   
“Do I put too much weight on my right foot?” he asked. Keith frowned.   
“No.”  
“Then what does it matter if my foundation is shaky!? I have a gun as my bayard, for crying out loud, it’s not like I’ll need to fall back on it often.” Keith stood and approached him, cornering him against the wall.   
“Lance.” Lance stuck his chin up.   
“What.”   
“You.. you may not have a soulmark for anybody else, but that doesn’t mean nobody has one for you, okay? You have people that care about you- the whole team, Allura, Coran, your family- and someone out there with your symbol on their skin, just hoping you’re okay. I’m not going to let you build anything about your safety on a shaky fucking foundation, because if it falls down, that’s every single one of those people suffering because of it.” Lance stared intently at the floor, eyes wide, as Keith stood with his arms crossed and chin up less than a foot in front of him. Suddenly, Lance’s hand shot out and hit Keith square in the chest, shoving him backwards.   
“That’s bullshit,” he hissed. “I don’t have a fucking soulmate, nobody has me on their skin, and if they do, that’s their fucking problem.” Lance finally looked up and made eye contact with Keith. It lasted a second before Lance broke it and stormed towards the door. “You wouldn’t fucking get it.” The doors clicked shut behind him, leaving Keith in the suffocating silence behind him.   
\---  
“Keith Kangjŏn to the headmaster’s office, Keith Kangjŏn to the headmaster’s office.” Keith gulped nervously, even though he’d been waiting for the tinny summon all morning. He stood and, with a nod from his teacher, grabbed his bag and made his way to the back of the room. A small snicker caught his attention.   
“Wonder what he did,” Lance murmured with a smirk. Keith frowned and ignored him.   
The walk to the main office was a long one. Every click of his heel on the tile seemed a reprimand, and the lights on the walls seemed to be flickering just to taunt him. He opened the door with his head down in shame, and the pointed finger of the receptionist sent him on his way.   
He sank into a seat in front of the headmaster’s desk. “So. Kangjŏn.” Keith reluctantly made eye contact. The headmaster sat before him, hands folded, one eye on him.   
“Yes, sir,” he replied, saluting.   
“You know why you’re here,” he continued. Keith nodded.   
“II left campus early without permission and didn’t attend three of my classes yesterday,” he confessed. The headmaster nodded.   
“So we’re on the same page. You know that skipping class and leaving campus during school hours is forbidden. When we give second years the right to live off of campus during their training, many of them abuse it. I’m sorry to count you among them today.” Keith felt the shame blossom in his chest.  
“I’m very sorry, Sir. I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t bring myself to face anybody.” The headmaster frowned.   
“Our nurses are very understanding, Kangjŏn. If you’d only gone through the office-”  
“I wasn’t physically unwell, sir. I.. I received some bad news yesterday and had a bit of a breakdown. I was too embarrassed to go through the office.” A beat of silence followed.   
“Our counselors are always available.”  
“I realize this.” The headmaster leaned back in his seat.   
“It pains me to do this, Kangjŏn, but you do have to serve the necessary detention periods. If I were to release you from them, your fellow students would see it as favoritism, as you’re the top of the class.” Keith nodded, breaking their eye contact and glancing at the hangings on the wall.   
“I understand, sir.”  
“Good. You have a one hour detention period before classes on the next three Wednesdays.” Keith nodded. “Remember. Two more unexcused classes missed, and that’s a one week suspension, and a mandatory loss of your top spot in the pilot class. Five more is immediate expulsion. We have strict rules here, and I expect you to shape up if you want to stay among us.   
“I understand, sir. I apologize again.”  
“I expect the best of you, Kangjŏn. Don’t disappoint me.”  
“I won’t, sir. I promise.”

Two weeks later, Shiro’s first expedition vanished.   
Two days after that, Keith was officially expelled from the academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Yay! I figured out an update schedule, and again it can be found under the "my writing" tab on my voltron blog manbunkeith. (shameless self promotion ;))  
> Don't worry, it lightens up in... a couple of chapters :)  
> Thanks so much for reading <3 Every kudos and comment is motivation to finish faster!


	3. team bonding

Keith continued his training after Lance had stormed out. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to follow, but for once his brain overruled and he decided to keep his distance. He ran, jumped, and swung his sword down in front of him, decapitating the training bot- it twitched twice before collapsing.   
“Training bot level three, eliminated. Would you like to continue your training?” the system asked in a calm voice.   
“No.” Keith froze. He hadn’t said that. He spun to face the door, and saw Lance standing in the doorway with a sour look on his face. “Allura’s orders. We have to meet in the commons ASAP.” He turned to leave, but stopped himself. “And, just saying. For someone who just got in my face about protecting yourself in battle to keep yourself safe, you fight like you have a death wish.” He continued walking, and Keith cursed himself for letting him get the last word twice in a row.   
Keith was in the commons five minutes later, the last to arrive, still in his workout clothes but smelling vaguely better. Allura brought her hands together and smiled.   
“Ah, lovely! Everybody’s here,” she said with a chipper grin. Keith noticed the team sitting in an awkwardly spaced circle, and chose the spot obviously left for him between Shiro and Pidge. “Now. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve brought you here today,” she began. Nobody spoke. Coran quickly sat between Keith and Pidge.   
“Why, yes! We’re dying to know!” he chimed, fixing nonexistent glasses in a bad impression of Pidge. Pidge spun to face him.   
“I do _not_ sound like that,” they insisted. He shrugged.   
“Anyways,” Allura continued. “It’s been brought to my attention recently that.. Some of you are not quite getting along.” Keith felt Lance’s glare on him but didn’t bother returning it. “Don’t point fingers, nobody was complaining about one another, my mice alerted me.” Lance’s glare faded. Keith still didn’t look. “Since this is the case, and we all need to be very open and happy with one another, I decided to have a second go at team bonding exercises! And it should work even better this time, because I accessed an Earth database called “Google” to figure out how your kind do it best!” Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all groaned.   
“What, do we all have to go around the circle and share a fun fact or something?” Pidge asked with a frown. Allura smiled.   
“Yes! That was the first exercise!” she chimed. This time, everyone save Shiro let out a groan. Lance frowned.   
“But.. that’s super boring. We all already know fun facts about one another. For example, sometimes when Pidge is asleep-”  
“LANCE WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT-”  
“Hey, hey, Lance, stop,” Hunk intervened. “That’s not a fun fact. That’s a personal fact.” Hunk paused. “Actually, maybe something more personal would be better. Then we could actually have a group bonding moment instead of finding out more about Lance’s fish.” Lance crossed his arms.   
“Hunk, my fish are awesome and you know it.” Allura ignored him.   
“That’s a wonderful idea, Hunk! What’s something personal that humans share?” she inquired, a finger poised on her chin. Pidge adjusted their glasses.   
“Well, at a few sleepovers I mandatorily attended on Earth, we talked about our soulmarks.” Keith blanched. He noticed Shiro glance his way with worry, but shifted his gaze to his shoelaces. “That seems as good a place to start as any, doesn’t it?”   
“What the quiznak is a soulmark?” Coran asked. Pidge shrugged.   
“It’s like.. Well, every human is born with a unique mark on their body, and it symbolizes their soulmate- the person they’re meant to fall in love with.” Coran slapped a hand to his forehead. Keith felt anxiety bubble up in his chest.   
“Fascinating!” he exclaimed. “May I see yours?” he asked. _I don’t actually have to tell anyone, do I?_ Keith panicked. Pidge rustled with the neck of their hoodie, showing Coran the small symbol just below the base of their neck.   
“I have a lightning bolt,” Pidge admitted with a grin. “So either I’m going to marry Flash or Harry Potter.” Keith smirked at Allura and Coran’s confused glance, trying to hide his internal breakdown. _I can’t let anybody see it. I can’t let Lance know._ Pidge turned to let everyone see. It was barely visible- a very pale yellow line on their already pale skin. “So what about you, Hunk?” they asked. Keith could have cried with relief that he would be last. But… he gulped. _It’ll still come around to me. And fast._ Hunk was already showing everybody the smatter of stars covering the back of his calf, theorizing that either he’d meet them while he was in space or find a nice astronaut or astronomer. Lance was next. He shrugged.   
“Don’t have one,” he admitted. Pidge flinched.   
“Oh, gosh. I forgot,” they admitted. Lance shrugged. Allura was floored.   
“Why would you not, Lance?” she asked. “Is that common?” He made a vague gesture.   
“I don’t know, I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of anyone else not having one, but here I am.” He crossed his arms. “I just don’t have a soulmate. End of discussion. So what about Shiro?” Keith’s stomach flopped again. He would come after Shiro. He had to find a way out of this, and fast.  
“Well, I have.. It’s kind of shaped like a boomerang?” he admitted, unsure. “But, like, a weird boomerang.” This caught everyone’s attention.   
“Let me see?” Pidge asked, already crawling over. Shiro flushed a deep red.   
“Uh- um- no. I can’t show you guys,” he stuttered. Pidge whined.   
“Why not? Hunk and I showed you ours.” Shiro gulped.   
“It’s. Um. It’s in an indecent spot,” he admitted. The group took a second to process this before bursting into laughter.   
“Where. Where. Oh my god where,” Lance insisted, gasping for breath. Shiro crossed his arms.   
“I’m not telling you where it is!” he denied. “I already told you what it is, the spot isn’t important!” After another five minutes of prodding- and Keith contemplating his escape- Shiro slipped.   
“Besides, I’ve only ever showed Keith.” The group froze, eyes on Keith. Keith felt himself turn crimson. Lance was on it in a second.   
“You showed your indecent soulmark to Keith, huh?” he clarified. Keith couldn’t place it, but he didn’t sound happy. Shiro groaned.   
“Lance I swear to god if you don’t shut the fuck up-” Keith started.  
“It’s not like that,” Shiro cried. “Keith showed me his soulmark, I was just trying to be fair.” Keith blanched. Shiro froze.   
“Speaking of Keith’s soulmark..” Lance drawled. Shiro looked at Keith.   
“Oh my god I’m sorry,” he whispered. Keith gulped.   
“Yeah, what is your soulmark, Keith?” Pidge asked. “And don’t tell me it’s in an indecent place, I won’t believe you.”   
“It’s on his collar bone, I already know that,” chimed Lance. “So show us. What is it? You got all touchy last time I brought it up.” Keith’s hands started shaking. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. All eyes were on him. His hand drifted to his collar bone defensively.  
“I…” He stood. “I can’t do this.” He started to the door.   
“Keith,” Lance started. Keith cringed. “We’re bonding here! Everyone else said theirs!” Keith shook his head.   
“I can’t talk about this. I’m sorry.”   
The door closed just before Lance could follow him, leaving a baffled silence behind him.   
\---  
Shiro sighed. “Don’t… Don’t follow him, Lance,” Shiro ordered. Lance turned from the door, confused.   
“Why not? What just happened?” he asked. Shiro frowned.   
“Rule of thumb. Never ask Keith about his soulmark,” he informed them. Pidge looked scared, pale and wide-eyed.  
“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” they mumbled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was sensitive about it.” Shiro shook his head.   
“You couldn’t have known,” he reassured them. Pidge nodded, unconvinced. Hunk shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the door where Lance was still hovering.   
“So, like.. Are we done with bonding time, then?” Hunk asked. Shiro frowned.   
“I feel like this is something you should know a bit about to understand Keith, though,” he thought out loud. “But I don’t know how to do that without saying too much.” Lance was still standing forlornly by the door, contemplating going, but wanting to hear what Shiro had to say. He ambled back to his seat, plopping into his spot.   
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like this was his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this has been so great, guys! Thank you so so much for all of the kind kudos, comments, and subscriptions!! Every single little thing keeps motivating me to FINISH THIS so I'll finally be able to tell you guys how many chapters it's gonna be hahaha.   
> Again, shameless self promotion; the update schedule is posted under the 'my writing' tab on my voltron blog, manbunkeith. Drop a line here or there if you have any questions/prompts :)  
> (Also: I have a separate oneshot in the making. Keep an eye out; subscribe to me to get an email when I post it ;) )


	4. an imperfect magic

Shiro took a deep breath and crossed his legs, trying to focus. _How do I satisfy them without lying or blowing Keith’s cover?_ he worried.  
“So… Keith has met his soulmate already,” he started. He tried to not look directly at Lance, but still noticed the odd look on his face. Pidge groaned.   
“But we all know he’s single. So something bad happened. And I brought it up in front of everybody and I’m terrible and-” Hunk reached over and tugged Pidge into a one-armed hug.   
“Quit it, dork, it’s not your fault.” Pidge’s lip quivered, but they stayed silent.   
“Anyways,” Shiro continued. “Lance... You know how you don’t have a soulmark? You’re one of a kind like that?” he asked. Lance nodded.   
“Yeah, what does it have to do with this?” he asked. Shiro grimaced.   
“Everything, actually. Keith’s soulmate… they don’t have a soulmark, either.” Everyone took a moment to process this.   
“How can Keith have a mark for this person on their body if they don’t have any marks?” Allura asked, baffled. Shiro shrugged.   
“I don’t know. It’s an imperfect magic. Not everybody is destined for a happy ending. I mean, if you think it’s bad not being destined to fall in love with someone… imagine being destined to fall in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same.” Lance’s eyes were wide.   
“I gave him so much shit earlier because he said that even if I don’t have a soulmark, someone could still have one for me.” Shiro looked sad.   
“What did you say to him?” he asked, quietly. Lance felt the guilt curl through his chest and swallow his entire body. He gulped.   
“I.. I pushed him. And I told him that was bullshit. And that if anyone had my mark on them that was their problem.” The room fell into silence. After a minute, it was Pidge who broke it.  
“Lance, you’re a dumbass.” He covered his face with his hands.   
“Yeah, I got that part.”  
\---  
Metal on metal rang through Keith’s ears. He ducked, and weaved, and spun, avoiding an onslaught of attacks. Before now, he’d only taken on training bots up to level five. This was a level seven. But even as he leaned backwards and his bangs were trimmed just a bit shorter, he didn’t regret choosing it. He swung up his arm, lobbing off the robot's sword arm. He cursed. _Landing a nonfatal blow on any bot above level five introduces another bot of the same level to the training room,_ He remembered with a groan. He’d been aiming for the chest. Before the second bot could drop, he stabbed the first through the heart.   
He looked up, watching as the hatch opened and the second dropped down. He shook his bangs back. One down. Who knows how many to go.   
\---  
“So, what happened to his soulmate?” It was Hunk who broke the silence this time. Shiro felt his heart ache just a bit, remembering Keith’s tears when he told him. He sighed.   
“Well… They hate him,” he stated. The others looked shocked. “I mean, I don’t know if they do any more, but… Keith sure seems to think they do, and they definitely did before.” Pidge whistled.   
“One thing for them to not feel the same, but hate him? That’s really rough,” they said with a frown. Shiro nodded.   
“He was a mess when he told me what had happened. I’ve never seen him that broken, honestly. It was kind of scary.” Lance rubbed at his face, the guilt still eating at him.   
“Why did you tell me to leave him alone?” he asked. Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Keith. When he stormed out. I feel like shit. Can I go yet?” Shiro pursed his lips and stared at the door.   
“I don’t know, honestly,” he replied. “That’s why I stopped you. Sometimes he just needs time to cool off. Sometimes he needs someone to vent to. Mostly… most of the time he just needs to punch some shit.” Lance nodded. It would explain all of his time in the training room, at least.   
“I think I’m gonna go try,” he decided. Shiro nodded.   
“Alright. But… well, if he’s crying, you want to stay away from him. It would just piss him off more if someone saw that.”   
\---  
Keith had only been training for five minutes when he started to regret it. He now had three level seven bots circling him. He was tempted to call off the simulation, but his anger and his pride kept him from doing it. He lunged and swung madly at one, decapitating it, before spinning to find one of the others poised to stab him. He panicked, but before he could call it off, its head blew off. He looked at the doorway and saw Lance standing there, bayard in hand, looking sad and annoyed. He attempted a smile in thanks- it was more of a grimace, really- and quickly lunged forward to finish off the last bot.   
“Training bots level seven, eliminated. Would you like to continue?” Keith looked at Lance again, who- horrendously enough- looked like he was waiting for him. He gulped.   
“No.” He turned away from Lance and began busying himself with his bag, tucking away his bayard. He heard Lance’s steps approaching him and felt the panic rise in his chest. _What does he know? Did he figure it out? Did Shiro blab? I shouldn’t have left. I should have just lied._  
“Hey, Keith.” Keith stopped messing with his bag and slowly turned to face him. It was spectacular, how one glance at a person could cause so many emotions. He was beautiful. He was an asshole. He was kindhearted. He was inconsiderate. He was sarcastic. He was his soulmate. Keith wasn’t his. Keith gulped.  
“Hi." The tension was palpable. Lance scuffed his foot against the floor and frowned.   
“I just.. Wanted to apologize, I guess, I think,” he rambled. “I was kind of a dick back there, and… and you should know, Shiro told us why you were so upset, and-” Keith blanched.   
“He what?” Keith snapped. “He told you who-”  
“No! No, no, no, not who, don’t worry,” Lance corrected. Keith settled a bit, but still felt nauseous. “But, about the whole unreciprocated thing, and… and I’m really sorry, like, really really sorry, about what I said after our training this morning. It was really insensitive, and I had no idea, and I was being a total dick, and-”   
“It’s fine,” Keith interrupted. Lance looked at him closer. Keith looked defeated, sad. Guilt tightened Lance's chest. _Why do I feel like this is my fault?_ “Only Shiro knew.” Lance nodded.   
“I mean, if it’s any consolation, your soulmate is really missing out,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. Keith smiled sadly. “Like, she must wish she-”  
“He.”  
“He?”  
“Yeah. He. My secrets are all coming out today, anyways.” Keith shrugged and picked up his bag. Lance smiled.   
“Well, me too.” Keith gave him an odd look. Lance floundered.   
“I mean, like- the- the guys thing,” he confessed. Keith nodded.   
“But you flirt with every humanoid girl you get within fifty feet of,” he objected. Lance shrugged.   
“What can I say? The ladies are pretty nice, too.” Keith smiled and turned, trying to cover a laugh. Lance froze. “Did you just snort?” he asked. Keith flushed.   
“No.” Lance grinned wickedly.   
“Yes you did.”  
“No. I didn’t.”   
“You did and it was adorable.” Keith flared up.   
“I DID _NOT_ SNORT-”  
“I’M GOING TO TELL EVERYBODY-”  
“I SWEAR LANCE THEY’LL NEVER FIND YOUR BODY.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! So sorry I didn't update yesterday, my laptop wasn't cooperating at all and I couldn't connect to the internet :( But here I am, updating, hopefully regaining your trust a bit, haha.  
> So this chapter ends on a better note! Boys being nerds! I love them! I hope you do, too!   
> ((Next chapter breaks my heart a little though tbh so brace yourselves))  
> Thanks so much for the response, every kudos, comment, and subscription is so appreciated. :)


	5. not for a second

“Lance, you can stop now.” Lance looked up at Keith from his planking position on the floor. He slowly eased himself back to sit, his muscles screaming with relief.   
“Okay, so what part of my basics are we fixing today?” he asked, only vaguely sarcastic. Keith smiled.   
“Actually, I think you’re good to move on, now,” he admitted. Lance punched the air, ignoring his sore muscles, and cheered.   
“Finally! Finessed those basics! You’re welcome, sort of-soulmate!” Keith paled slightly before realizing that Lance wasn’t talking directly to him. Lance noticed. “Er, sorry, I forgot it’s kind of a bad topic.” Keith rolled his eyes.   
“Yeah, but, whatever..” he started, glancing over Lance longingly. “I should just try to get over it, anyways.” He tore his gaze away from Lance and tried to remember the way his teacher had explained the next steps to him.   
“Hey, Keith?” Lance asked. Keith shot a look over his shoulder. “Can I.. ask you a couple of questions? About the whole soulmate thing?” Keith felt his heart stop. “I mean, like, nothing too invasive, I just… I want to understand this better from the other end of things.” Keith stood in silence for a moment. _Don’t do this. You’ll give yourself away. Keep your fucking distance._ He turned to say ‘no,’ but then he saw Lance’s face.   
_Nervous, apologetic, confused. Beautiful._  
He paused, heartbeat thrumming nervously under his skin.  
“Okay, fine. Ask away.”   
\---  
The cold rock against his back was rough and uncomfortable, but he couldn’t move. Not yet. Not until- There was a series of loud bangs, and the ground shook beneath him. He counted ten seconds before revving up his bike and speeding towards the base. He squealed to a stop just outside the now unguarded entrance, rushing in.   
The bandana around his mouth was suffocating.  
He opened the door, taking in his obstacles- two paramedics. Right hook, one down. He felt another grab his back- he reached back, grabbed hold, and kneeled as he yanked them forward, sending them flying over him into a stack of equipment. His heartbeat was racing against the same clock as him- in a minute, they’d know the explosions were just a distraction. He jumped over the first fallen paramedic and pulled down his bandana, kneeling over the patient. He turned his head and lost his breath.   
“Shiro.”  
He pulled his knife from his waistband, cutting the straps and being careful to avoid Shiro’s skin. He had him hoisted onto his shoulder already when the night took a turn for the worse.   
“Nope, nope, no no no no nope. I’m saving Shiro.”   
_Lance._ Keith felt his heart shatter all over again as his eyes landed on his figure in the doorway. _I thought I left you behind me at the Garrison,_ he thought, betrayed. _Why can’t anything just stay in the past?_  
“Who are you?” he asked, keeping his face calm. Lance looked venomous, but somehow not surprised.   
“The name’s _Lance?_ ” Keith made no reaction. “We were in the same class at the Garrison?” he tried again. Keith had to repress a grin.   
“Really, were you an engineer?” he asked. Lance’s face soured. “No, no, wait. I remember you,” Keith conceded with a grin. “You’re a _cargo_ pilot.” Lance started bickering, but Keith ignored him and began to pull them towards the door.   
Keith grimaced as Lance’s friends hopped onto his ride without a second thought. The small one sounded frantic. “Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?” they worried, shrill. Keith groaned.   
“ _No._ ” He loaded Shiro on and started the engine anyways.   
_You can do this, Keith. Just ignore him._  
\---  
“So, like, did you still get, y’know… pulled to your soulmate?” Lance asked from his seat on the floor. “Like, the tug in your gut that everyone talks about.” Keith frowned, and found he didn't want to make eye contact with Lance while talking about this. He leaned his head back against the wall and started counting ceiling tiles.   
“Yes,” he admitted. “And the spark. And the glow. And the everything. Nothing else, though.” Lance nodded, thoughtful.   
“How long have you known him?” _That.. isn’t a soulmate question. That’s a personal question._ He drooped a bit, finding no will to refuse to answer.   
“Couple years.”   
“How long did the glow last?” He frowned, thinking hard to remember.   
“A couple of days, the first time.” Lance tilted his head.   
“Wait, it can happen more than once?” he asked, confused. Keith made the mistake of looking at him and found he couldn’t look away.   
“I guess so. Maybe I’m a special case. But, I’ve had to shake hands with him a few times since then. I’ve noticed a glow three times, a spark twice.” He closed his eyes and rubbed them with exhaustion. “It’s just been kind of a pain since the first one, though.” Lance sighed heavily.   
“I’m… sorry about that, dude. I don’t really see how anyone could hate you,” he admitted. Keith let out a sour chuckle.   
“ _You_ did.” Lance frowned.   
“Not really. I think I was just jealous. I thought you hated me, actually.”   
“I’ve never hated you. Not once. Not for a second.” They let this truth hang between them for a long moment before either of them spoke.   
“So… do you want to start training? I thought you’d be more excited to move on from the basics,” Keith suggested with a forced laugh, quickly changing the topic. Lance stood slowly, holding out his hand to help him up.   
“Yeah, that sounds great.”  
As Lance took his hand, Keith met the third spark from his soulmark with resigned affection. He smiled at Lance. _I’ll get over you one day,_ he thought to himself. _I have plenty of time._  
\---  
A shrill beeping woke Lance. He squeezed his eyes tighter, willing it away for a moment, before frustratedly sitting and silencing it. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. _I feel like shit._ He felt something on his face- dry tear tracks, he realized- and began scraping the salt off of his skin.   
He’d had a dream about his soulmate. Or, rather, his lack of one. He was still shaking off the suffocating vestiges of loneliness as he sat up, scrubbing at his eyes with the base of his palms. He gulped and shook his head, standing to get ready for practice.   
\---  
He’d composed himself outwardly, but on the inside he was still unfocused and tired, frayed at the edges. He frowned, seeing the door to the training room come into view. _Keith’s gonna kick my ass today._ He approached the door and peered in quietly, the person in question stretching leisurely in the middle of the room. Lance frowned. _I’ve only ever seen Keith sad once,_ he realized. _His soulmark business is way more screwed up than mine, but he’s always fine._ Keith stood, and for a moment Lance feared he would be noticed, but instead he bent to touch his toes.  
_He’s really strong_ , Lance noticed. _He shoulders all of this, only ever told one person, and somehow survived it. And he’s still here, surviving, even when he’s flying a lion in space and getting shot at every few days._ Lance felt a pang in his chest when Keith straightened and stretched his arms over his head, watching the muscles in his back go taut and then relax as his arms fell. Keith turned and jumped slightly. Lance flushed. _Spotted._  
“Oh, hey, Lance,” Keith said nonchalantly. _He’s so… fine. So okay. Not even bothered._  
“Hey, Keith,” he replied, waltzing in. “Didn’t want to interrupt your yoga.” Keith smirked.   
“Stretching is a very important part of exercise,” he reminded him. Lance shrugged playfully.   
“Yeah, yeah, okay, mullet man.” Keith rolled his eyes, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of metal. Lance raised an eyebrow. “What’s that for?” he asked. Keith raised an eyebrow, holding the metal in his teeth and gathering his bangs.   
“It’s a bobby pin?” Keith stated around the pin, confused. He took the pin and slid it into his hair, securing his bangs in place. Lance felt something odd in his chest.   
“You’re such a girl,” he mumbled. Keith chuckled.   
“Right, because it’s feminine to not want hair in my eyes.” Lance scoffed.   
“You look…” He paused, searching for the right word. _Cute._ He gulped. _No. Not cute. Dumb._ “You look dumb,” he decided. Keith’s face was blank for a moment before a laugh bubbled up and he hid his mouth behind a hand. Lance flushed. _He looks cute. Why does he look cute?_ He shouldered off his jacket and tossed it down next to his bag. “Let’s get started, dummy,” he demanded gently. Keith rolled his eyes.   
“Aye aye, captain.”   
\---  
For the first time since their argument, Lance couldn’t wait for their practice to end. He was so off of his game- He’d glance at Keith’s eyes and instead of watching for movement he’d just stare and completely miss the punch aimed for his chest. Keith would move and he’d admire the grace of it instead of blocking the kick that swept his feet out from under him. Lance even tried to play dirty by grabbing Keith’s hair, but he got caught in how soft it was and by the time he even knew Keith had moved he had the arm twisted behind his back. His breathing was heavy, his mind was fuzzy, his legs pressed into an uncomfortable kneel on the ground. Keith’s hand was firm around his wrist, but he didn’t twist enough to hurt him. Keith sighed.   
“Lance, are you okay?” he asked, surprisingly gently. He released Lance’s wrist and he quickly jerked his arm away. “You seem really out of it today.” Lance swallowed thickly and stood.   
“Yeah, I’m alright,” he mumbled. “I didn’t sleep well, had a bad dream.” Keith nodded, gazing pensively at him.   
“I get those, too,” he admitted. “Everyone has off days, yeah?” He rested a hand on Lance’s shoulder, and Lance felt a warm pulse through his body as they made eye contact. He felt a flush creep up his neck at the proximity, and then had a crashing realization.   
_I have a crush on Keith._  
An ice cold shock spread through his veins.  
“Lance?” Keith asked, squeezing his shoulder. Lance nodded jerkily.   
“Yeah. Off day. Everybody… everybody gets em’,” he repeated with an awkward laugh, forcing a large smile. _What the fuck. I have a crush on Keith. What the fuck?_ He cleared his throat. “So, ah, what else are we doing today? To train? In training?” he blinked a few times. _What happened to me being smooth?_ He wondered. Keith gave him an odd look.   
“...Do you need to call it a day?” he asked. It was subtle, but Lance noticed the worry twisting his features. Lance sighed and dragged a hand down his face.   
“I think so,” he admitted. Keith squeezed his shoulder once more before letting his hand drop. Lance missed the contact immediately.  
“Get some more sleep, okay? Take care of yourself,” Keith worried. Lance made the mistake of locking eyes with him. His breath caught in his throat at the genuine concern etched into Keith’s usually placid face. He nodded, looking away to hide the flush he could feel creeping up his neck.   
“I will. I’ll see you later, Keith,” he mumbled, dismissing himself. He turned the corner out of the door and immediately brought both hands to his face, digging his palms roughly into his cheeks and groaning quietly.   
_This is so fucked up._  
\---  
_Keith has a soulmate. Keith has a soulmate. You can’t like Keith,_ he told himself, pacing his room. _I mean, how fucked up is that? He’s all broken-hearted and shit, I’m not meant to have any meaningful relationships, I don’t need to screw with his head any more than it already is._ Lance groaned loudly and sat on his bed. It was in disarray, covers kicked everywhere but where they were supposed to be. Trying to sleep again hadn’t worked for him.   
_If I made a move on Keith, he’d hate me. I’d ruin our friendship, and we wouldn’t be able to form Voltron._ He tilted his head. _Even if he didn’t hate me, it wouldn’t last with all of this soulmate bullshit, and then when we fell apart we’d take the team down with us._ He frowned and eyed the door, thinking of Keith’s cheesy smile that he always tried to hide, and felt a distinct flutter through his chest. He sighed, eyes falling shut. _I need to talk to Hunk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Sundays aren't on my update schedule, but I figured I'd post today anyways, since I couldn't on Friday!  
> Okay okay okay so I know I said this chapter was heartbreaking but I got mixed up and thought I was elsewhere in the story, this one isn't heartbreaking it's just frustrating and cheesy. Oops. I should know my own story better than that, haha. 
> 
> I'm loving all of the comments and kudos and subscriptions and bookmarks and- and- and yeah I just love you guys. I sat down and wrote out all the way until like chapter 8 last night and hoo that made me emotional but I did it for you. 
> 
> Shit gets real next chapter, so I'll see you back here on... well, you can check the update schedule on my tumblr for that ;) ((shameless self promotion intensifies)) (((see note below for my url)))
> 
> See you soon, lovelies. xoxo


	6. mandatory lice check

Keith stepped out of the shower that night, scrubbed clean of sweat from the day’s training. He quickly dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist and walking into his room. He picked up a balled up tee- _Is this on the floor because it’s dirty or because I didn’t fold it?_ He held it to his nose and coughed, sending it flying into his hamper. _Dirty. Definitely dirty._ He slid into his boxers and pants, carding a hand through his hair while he continued to look for a shirt. He was absentmindedly touching at his collarbone when a small sound alerted him that the door was opening.   
“Keith, have you seen my headphones? I let Lance borrow them and he lost them somewhere on the ship,” Pidge complained, waltzing in. Pidge froze. Keith felt the breath leave his lungs and quickly slapped a hand over his collarbone, slamming the door shut behind Pidge. They covered their mouth with a hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you weren’t wearing a shirt-” they rambled, backing themselves against the door. Keith still hadn’t spoken, instead staring at Pidge as though terrified.   
“You-” he started, but he cut himself off and shook his head. “You saw it, didn’t you?” he asked. Pidge didn’t reply for a moment, but slowly nodded. Keith cursed. “So you know who it is.” Pidge gulped.   
“Lance.” Keith swore again, this time louder.   
“You won’t tell _anybody._ ” Pidge shook their head.   
“Of course not. Keith, I- I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to,” they started again. Keith’s mouth twisted strangely as he tried to set it flat.   
“It... it’s fine, Pidge,” he sighed. He lowered the hand from his collarbone and threw his arms in the air in exasperation. “Nothing stays secret on this fucking ship, anyways,” he spat. He snatched the pillow off of his bed and shoved it into his face, muffling a yell of frustration. He tossed it back down as though repulsed. “I just- I really, really don’t want to talk about this right now,” he groaned, voice cracking and warmth welling in his eyes. Pidge noticed, and remembered Shiro’s words. _If he’s crying, you want to stay away from him. It would just piss him off more if someone saw that._  
“I can, I can leave you alone,” Pidge said timidly. Keith calmed himself down enough to look at Pidge- really look- and saw the fear and guilt etched into their features. He sighed.   
“I- yeah. Please. I just need to- I don’t know what I need to do. But I want to be alone right now.” Pidge nodded fervently.   
“I’m really sorry,” Pidge rushed once more. They were out of the door before Keith could reply, so instead he sat down and tried not to cry.   
_This is all going to shit._  
\---  
Pidge found Shiro in the kitchen. He was helping Hunk cook, a carefree grin taking over his features. Pidge groaned internally. _This would be so much easier if he was already alone._ They schooled their features into casual annoyance before approaching.   
“Hey, Hunk. Hey, Shiro,” they greeted.  
“Hey, Pidgey,” Hunk said with a grin. “We’re making a boss dinner for tonight. Coran’s gonna be so upset he never thought of this,” he mused. Pidge smiled.   
“I don’t doubt it. Can I borrow Shiro for a bit, though?” they asked. Hunk raised an eyebrow and looked to Shiro. Shiro shrugged.   
“Do you still need my help?” Shiro asked. Hunk looked at what they already had done.   
“Nah, I don’t think so, I just have to chop a few more things,” he replied. Shiro nodded and set his knife down on the cutting board.   
“I’ll at least be back for dinner,” he said with a grin. “Lead the way, Pidge.” Pidge put on a smile and a spring in their step, not wanting to worry Hunk, but as soon as the door closed behind them their face dropped.   
“Shiro, I fucked up.”  
\---  
They sat in the healing chamber, Pidge biting at their nails. Shiro sat next to them.   
“So, what happened?” he asked. Pidge frantically eyed the room for eavesdroppers once more before speaking.   
“I- I- okay so Lance lost my headphones right?” they started, speaking quickly. Shiro nodded slowly. “So, I went to go ask if Keith had seen them. But I didn’t really wait for him to answer after I knocked. And I went right in. And he wasn’t wearing a shirt.” Shiro seemed to get it then and his eyes widened in alarm. He took a breath and spoke softly.  
“Pidge, you can’t tell anyone, he’d be devastated,” Shiro insisted. Pidge shook their head.   
“No, no, I know, I already talked to him about it, but I feel so bad- he was so upset that I saw it, but it- it really does make sense,” they commented. Shiro sighed.   
“I know. It’s pretty awful, but… that’s how it is, I guess,” he said with a shrug. Pidge pursed their lips and thought for a moment.   
“But, but Shiro- it _can't_ be.” Shiro gave them an odd look.   
“What do you mean?” Pidge groaned and reached under their glasses to rub their face.   
“I mean, come on, none of us are blind. I think it’s pretty obvious that Lance has the hots for Keith." Shiro furrowed his brows.   
“Really? But it’s not… well, I get that none of this is perfect, but it’s not supposed to be that way,” he pointed out. Pidge thought for a moment before perking up slightly.  
“Lance is older than Keith, isn’t he?” Pidge mumbled in revelation. Shiro narrowed his eyes.   
“How did you know that? Keith hates telling people that he skipped a grade.” Pidge’s smile was huge.   
“I think I know what’s going on with Lance’s soulmark.” Shiro sat up straighter. “Okay, so say Lance is a newborn. Of course he doesn’t have a soulmark, right? If his soulmate is younger than him, he won’t get one until they’re born.” Shiro nodded.   
“Right. He’s… I think he’s about eight months older than Keith,” Shiro supplied.  
“So, fast forward eight months. Keith is born with a blue smudge on his collarbone that later becomes Blue, right? And now Lance gets his soulmark. And this is where everything gets confusing, because by that time..” Pidge stood. “By that time Lance has _hair_.” Shiro rubbed his face.   
“Of course he had hair. Why did you stand up to say that?” he asked. Pidge groaned overdramatically.   
“I did it for dramatic affect. _Don’t you get it? What it means!?_ ” Pidge squawked. Shiro gave them an odd look. They rolled their eyes and dropped to their knees, putting their hands on Shiro’s shoulders. “It means Lance could still have a soulmark. _On his fucking head_.”  
\---  
The door to the common area slid open, Shiro and Pidge ambling in mock-casually. Pidge eyed the room. Lance was relaxing on the couch with Hunk, a small game in his hands, and Keith was nowhere to be seen. They sighed at the small grace. Shiro noticed, too, and began what they’d rehearsed. He stepped forward, stretching his arms in front of him and cracking his neck.   
“Okay, Lance, I need you to sit on the floor,” he ordered. Lance squinted at him.   
“Why?” he asked. “I’m almost done with this level.” Pidge stepped in.   
“Mister smart guy over here told Coran what lice are today and he got so grossed out that we have to check everybody and make sure nobody brought it on the ship,” they lied. Lance frowned.   
“I don’t have lice. There, check done." Hunk looked disgusted.  
“Dude, lice are gross. Let them check you, you don’t want that,” Hunk reasoned. Lance glowered and went back to his game. Pidge crossed their arms.   
“We’re checking your head whether you like it or not. Make it easy on yourself and just sit on the floor.” Lance started at their serious tone and paused his game.   
“Damn, okay fine, no need for that kind of tone, young… person." He handed his game to Hunk and scooted forward, lowering himself onto the floor. Pidge and Shiro perched on the couch behind him, their hearts racing, and dived in.   
\---  
Pidge was starting to lose hope. They’d searched the whole top of his head and all around his ears; there wasn’t much more scalp to look at. They sighed and carded through the hair at the nape of his neck, frowning.   
“Dude, you need a haircut,” they commented. They pushed his hair up, and froze.   
_Red._  
“Shiro.” He got the message and they both examined the spot, mouths gaping. The game clattered to the floor in front of Hunk as soon as he glanced over.  
“Oh my god,” Hunk breathed.   
“You were right, Pidge,” admitted Shiro. Lance jerked.   
“I HAVE LICE!?” he screamed. Pidge shook their head, leaning back on the couch.   
“No, worse.” Lance spun to face them, his eyes wide.   
_“You have a soulmark.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWIST DUN DUN DUN DUN DUNN
> 
> God I feel like I just got a dirty secret off of my chest by finally posting this chapter I HATE putting people through suspense but actually no that's a lie I love it. ;)
> 
> x


	7. walking fucking paradox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE COMMENTS ON THE LAST CHAPTER MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD. I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME WHAT YOU THINK///REPEATEDLY TYPING "FUCK", I'M FEELING THE LOVE

Lance stared blankly at them before reaching back and frantically feeling at the back of his head.  
“I _what!?_ ” he exclaimed. He suddenly felt faint. “But I- I don’t-”  
“You do,” Shiro cut across. A hand rested gently on his shoulder and he dug his fingers into the hair on his neck. “I’m guessing you want to know what it is?”  
Lance looked terrified.  
“I… well, yeah,” he said quietly. Pidge whipped out their phone.  
“Turn around.” Lance nodded and turned, dumbstruck and speechless. Pidge took a video of them carding through his hair, slowly revealing the whole thing, and handed their phone to Lance. He watched it with his mouth hung wide, and then watched it again, and one more time for good measure. He sniffed, and the others realized he was tearing up.  
“I have a soulmate,” he whispered. He touched the screen gently, Hunk’s hand on his other shoulder reassuringly. “I have a _soulmate_.” It almost sounded as though he was trying to convince himself. He looked back at the others. “And it’s Keith?” he asked. Shiro smiled warmly.  
“Pretty sure he’s the only paladin of the red lion, buddy.” Lance turned back around and rested his back on the couch, replaying the video again.  
“So your story was about me,” Lance mumbled. Shiro, Hunk and Pidge froze, glancing between one another. “He thought I hated him, and you’ve never seen him so broken because of what I did.”  
“Well, I mean, I can’t _deny_ that,” he stuttered awkwardly. “But you didn’t even know you had a soulmate until now, I mean, it, it wasn’t your-”  
“Yeah, it was.” Shiro flinched. “One day, at Garrison, I cornered him after lunch and I told him that I hated him. I didn’t think it was such a big deal. I never knew why he left, I didn’t… I didn’t think my opinion was that important,” he confessed. Shiro slumped back.  
“I know, Lance. I already know what happened. Keith told me about his soulmark that day.”  
“I think…” Lance stood and looked around the room, seeming vaguely lost. “I think I should talk to him about this,” he decided. Shiro hummed. “Just be gentle, okay? Keith… He’s tough, but he’s really fragile right now.” Lance stared at the door.  
“Yeah. I know.”  
\---  
Lance walked slowly through the corridors, for once completely at a loss for how to woo someone. He frowned and reached back, rubbing his soulmark. It sent a tingle through his body, and he smiled slightly. Its presence comforted him a bit. He huffed out a breath and considered Keith. _He’s… well, he’s really impulsive,_ he thought. _And brash, and angry, and strong, but somehow also fragile._  
He groaned and dragged his fingers through his hair. _Why does my soulmate have to be a walking fucking paradox?_ He whined internally. _I can’t just go for it,_ he told himself as the training hall came into view. _Especially not if he’s sword fighting. He could turn me into a kebab._ He tilted his head to the side. _No, he wouldn’t kebab me. Apparently, he loves me._ He froze, and let that thought simmer for a second. _Keith loves me,_ he tested again, and felt a shiver run through his body. He blinked, feeling off guard. He shook his head and started walking quickly to the training hall. _Deal with that later. Deal with this now._  
\---  
Keith was, unsurprisingly, sword fighting. He moved with agility and grace, light on his feet and heavy with his blows. Lance waited patiently in the doorway, admiring him openly- apparently, his crush on Keith wasn’t as morally ambiguous as he’d worried. Keith caught sight of him in a spare moment, and without hesitation shot him the cheesiest toothy grin that Lance had ever seen. With that and the tiny puff of a ponytail on top of his head, he looked ridiculous- and it caught every single one of Lance’s heart strings as he smiled back with a small wave, a flush coloring his cheeks. Keith returned to fighting, his demeanor switched back in an instant. With a rush of metal, the bot vanished dramatically and Keith slumped, panting.  
“Good fight,” he mumbled as he patted the floor. Lance strolled over to him, suddenly panicking when he realized he’d never decided what to say. Keith looked up at him and grinned, the angle forcing Lance to notice the bobby pin in his hair. Instead of teasing him for it, he found it endearing, and smiled softly. “Whaddaya want?” Keith asked. “And, please, no bad news, I just got myself into a good mood,” he joked as he straightened his back. Lance rubbed the back of his neck and felt another reassuring pulse.  
“I just wanted to apologize again for bonding time,” he started. Keith raised an eyebrow.  
“Lance, that was weeks ago. And you already apologized,” he pointed out, crossing his arms. Lance’s nervousness rose at the defensive stance.  
“Yeah, but… I was a total dick. And I also had a few more questions about the whole soulmate thing,” he admitted. Keith tilted his head.  
“And the truth comes out,” he joked with a grin. Lance followed suit, but it felt like anxiety was wrapping around his lungs and constricting them. _At least he’s in a good mood._ Lance’s gaze wandered helplessly around the room as he hunted for words. He took a deep breath and looked Keith in the eye.  
“I want to see your soulmark,” he said on a burst of courage. Keith’s expression immediately closed off, the warmth of his smile draining and a steely front taking its place. He took a step back.  
“No.” Lance felt it like a stab in the heart.  
“Please?”  
“ _No._ You _know_ I’m not comfortable showing it to anybody,” Keith hissed.  
“Did you ever show your soulmate?” he advanced, taking a small step forward. Keith tilted his head back slightly, glaring carefully at Lance from below his lashes.  
“No,” he replied, quieter. Lance felt the fear in his chest twisting through his organs and he closed his eyes, finding resolve. He made eye contact again.  
“Maybe it’s time to.”  
He saw the exact moment that Keith knew what he meant. His face shattered and he looked scared. Keith fell back a step. Lance gulped.  
“Keith, I… I know.” Keith’s arms dropped and any vestige of his schooled expression vanished. He brought a balled fist up to his lips and stared at Lance for a moment before shaking his head.  
“No. No, no, you- you can’t-” he rambled. Lance took a step forward, reaching to him, frightened by Keith’s reaction.  
“Keith, it’s because I-”  
_Smack._

Lance froze, too shocked to even feel the throb in his hand as it was batted away. Neither of them moved. Keith broke the standoff, shaking his head.  
“Fuck,” Keith muttered. “Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.” He turned and marched to the exit. “I can’t- Lance, I can’t deal with this right now, okay? Can you go a day without fucking with me? Is it that hard?” he insisted. Lance was still standing where Keith had hit his hand away. He blinked and came to a realization.  
_I went about this entirely wrong._  
“Keith, wait, let me explain-” he started. But Keith was by the door, and Lance wasn’t. Keith was by the control panel, and Lance was in the middle of the room. Keith hit the control panel on his way out.  
“ _I’m sorry,_ ” he choked out. 

Lance was stuck in the maze, and Keith wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (sorry lol)


	8. you're glowing

Lance tried to get out of the maze for an hour.  
Key word; _tried._  
His hands were sore, stiff, and basically useless, an angry red spreading slowly up his forearms. He stepped forward gently and reached out, promptly shocking his finger and swearing as he yanked it back. He bit back a scream of frustration as he realized he’d gone the wrong way at the last turn; dead end. He cast a gaze over his shoulder and grimaced, gingerly following his trail of accessories- to cover his tracks, he’d left his jacket, watch, shoes, socks, and even his shoelaces laid out in the path he’d taken. He picked them up as he followed them, careful not to take up too much space and avoid shocking his elbows. Reaching a small clearing where he had room to move, he shouldered the jacket back on, stuck his toes into his shoes, and shoved the rest of his things into his jacket pockets. _New trail. New route. I can do this._ He took a focusing breath and faced the next opening, which he’d marked with a balled up sock earlier. He strode confidently forward, but immediately fell back onto the floor with a yell and a curse, electricity thrumming under his skin. He shook it off and groaned loudly, flopping backward melodramatically. _I guess I moved my sock._  
“God DAMN IT,” he yelled, stomping his feet down petulantly.  
_My hands hurt. My arms hurt. I’ve been in here for an hour. The floor is uncomfortable but the walls are fucking electrocuted._ He strained his neck back and looked at the upside down door. _Who the hell even knows what’s going on with Keith._ He groaned again and tried to sit up, but his hand slid and he fell back with a resigned thud.  
He felt tears of frustration well in his eyes, and officially gave up.  
_So, that was a fiasco._  
\---  
Lance had long since closed his eyes, gentle tendrils of sleep curling through his mind. There was a familiar sliding noise, and he smiled.  
_I must be dreaming._  
Footsteps sounded closer to him.  
_I’m dreaming and Keith is coming to save me._  
“WHAT DID YOU _DO_ TO HIM!?”  
Lance jolted out of his reverie, flinging his eyes up to see the culprit. He gulped. _I guess Shiro works, too._ Lance had never seen him this angry, and he was stomping straight towards the maze.  
“Shiro, stop!” Lance yelled. He flung out an arm in warning was promptly electrocuted. He cursed loudly and cradled his hand. Shiro stopped just short of the maze, confused for a moment.  
“Did he stick you in here?” he asked. Lance nodded.  
“He stormed off and I couldn’t even follow him. I probably got electrocuted at least a million times trying to find a way out of this death trap,” he admitted, yanking up his sleeves bitterly. The angry red just barely brushed up to his elbows. Shiro stared openly.  
“Why did you keep moving after you got electrocuted!?” he demanded. “You could get seriously hurt without your suit on!” Lance groaned.  
“ _I need to talk to Keith, okay!?_ ” he yelled back. A silence fell between them. He dragged his hands down his face. “I fucked up. I know, I fucked up. I went about it totally wrong, and I freaked him out and I didn’t even get to tell him about my mark. _I get it_. Trust me, I feel like shit enough, you don’t have to scold me. Now can you _please_ just let me out so I can go fix it!?” Shiro’s features softened with second hand guilt, and he found no point in harassing him further. He turned and went to the control panel, disabling the maze with the press of a button. Lance was up in a flash, dashing to the door. As soon as he stepped out, he stopped, backtracked two steps, and squeezed Shiro as tight as possible.  
“Thanks for everything,” he muttered, and then he was gone. Shiro rubbed his arm, and a small smile appeared on his face as he watched Lance bolt down the hall.  
\---  
Lance doubled over dramatically in front of Keith’s door, breaths heaving through his lungs as though he’d just been drowning. He gathered himself for a moment, and then realized that the hall was eerily silent. He stood and gulped before knocking on the door. A moment passed, but no answer.  
“Keith?” he called. “Keith, please, I need to talk to you.” He heard movement on the other side of the door and his heartbeat quickened.  
“Go away,” Keith mumbled through the door. Lance felt his heart break. Keith’s voice was scratchy and uneven, like he’d been yelling, crying... or both. He gulped.  
“Please. Keith, please.” He couldn’t stop saying his name. “Nobody told me your secret. I… I kind of figured it out myself,” he confessed.  
“How?”  
Lance grimaced and cast his gaze up and down the hall; there was nobody around, but anyone could show up at any second.  
“Let me in and I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” Keith said nothing. Lance rested his forehead on the door. “Please. _Keith._ ”  
The lock clicked. Lance took it as his cue. He opened the door and closed it gently behind him, re-latching the lock. He turned and gulped. Keith was sitting on the side of his bed, head resting in his hands. He stepped slowly forward, gently sitting next to Keith.  
“So… I found out,” he started.  
“How.”  
It was more of a demand than a question. Lance tried to even his breathing.  
“Keith, I…” he took a deep breath and held it for a moment.  
  
“I have a soulmark.”  
  
Keith’s gaze was piercing and surreal. It was a lot to take in; red eyes, wet face, bloody knuckles, and close proximity. Lance gulped, resisting the urge to place a hand on his cheek. _Not yet._  
“What?” Keith mumbled under his breath, nearly silent. Lance nodded.  
“Pidge found it. Apparently, I’ve had it my whole life, but…” He cracked a nervous smile. “Nobody really thinks to check under their hair.” Keith’s hand slowly reached up and hovered silently over Lance’s head, his eyes hopeful. Lance turned away from him and guided his hand to the general area of his mark, understanding the request. He felt gentle fingers card through his hair, and heard the small gasp and felt the sudden warmth course through his body when he found it, bright red and warm against Lance’s skin. His first spark. Lance closed his eyes and savored the feeling. Keith stared for a long while, touching it gently and moving his hair around it with care.  
“That’s me,” he mumbled, awestruck. Lance felt a pang of affection run through him. He reached back and took Keith’s hand, holding it in his own and turning around. He met his eyes and smiled softly.  
“Can I see yours now?” he asked, gently touching Keith’s collarbone over his shirt. Keith hesitated, and then nodded, fingers dancing nervously at the collar of his shirt. They twisted into the fabric, working the black cloth between them as he steeled himself. He closed his eyes and exhaled in a rush, yanking the collar sideways. Keith heard a sharp intake of breath, and then nothing. He cracked an eye open, and saw Lance staring in awe.  
The blue lion stood proudly on Keith’s collarbone, as though it was protecting him. Lance smiled softly and touched it. _Thanks for protecting him for me, Blue,_ he thought. The mark glowed faintly at his touch and Lance’s smile grew.  
“You’re glowing,” he said quietly. Keith smiled softly.  
“So are you.” They both smiled at each other for a moment until Lance noticed Keith’s eyes shining. He reached forward and cradled the side of his face in his hand.  
“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. Keith nodded.  
“Overwhelmed, I think,” he admitted. “Long day.” Lance smiled and brought his face to Keith’s, resting their foreheads together and dropping his hand.  
“Me, too.” They rested like that for a moment, basking in their revelation, until Lance broke the calm silence.  
“I’m so sorry about everything I did to you,” he mumbled. Keith opened his eyes.  
“Not your fault,” he replied. “You didn’t know.” Lance placed his hand back on Keith’s cheek, watching in awe as his eyes slowly closed.  
“I do now. So I can spend the rest of my time making it better.” He tilted his jaw forward and brushed their lips together, testing the waters, before Keith met him the rest of the way. His lips were chapped, but they were real, and gentle, and Lance achingly felt himself falling for him headfirst.  
Neither of them had any idea what they were doing, but a warm pulse from their soulmarks reassured them that they were doing the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end... sort of! I have an epilogue on the way, and I'll try my very best to get it uploaded by Monday (But no promises, I have an unfair amount of homework ugh.)  
> Thank you all so much for reading my silly gay story, all of the kudos and ESPECIALLY all of the comments made me so happy- special thanks to FallingNarwhals for the mini "AU in which Lance actually had lice and Keith refuses to go near him" in the comments lmao.  
> But seriously, I'm so sad this fic is ending soon because I've come to care about all of you commenters a ridiculous amount and I'll be sad when I stop getting emails that you guys are talking to me. Please, please, please actually keep in touch with me on tumblr! Just send me a message on manbunkeith and I'll gladly be mutuals with you! 
> 
> AND YET. I have something to ask of you guys. I have a list of ideas for my next Klance fic, and I decided to let you guys vote on which one I write next! But of course like I'm giving little to no detail so you guys can still be surprised by any little surprises I decide to throw in ;) Just include the number of the fic you'd be most interested in within your comment, and I'll keep your opinions in mind when deciding! Your opinions matter to me x  
> 1\. Why doesn't Keith remember Lance in the first episode? Chaptered.  
> 2\. Guitarist AU, in which Keith plays acoustic and Lance prefers electric. Chaptered.  
> 3\. Avatar: The Last Airbender AU in which Keith is a Kyoshi warrior. Oneshot. (Only a oneshot because it actually goes against my real A:TLA/Voltron headcanons oops)  
> 4\. Rival Pokemon gym leader AU. Chaptered.
> 
> Again, thank you guys so so so much for all of the comments, kudos, subs, bookmarks... and for reading in general! I love you all and you've all given me way more confidence in my writing. Epilogue to come soon... probably. ;)
> 
> EDIT: Fallingnarwhals did some super cute art of Lance's soulmark and you all should go look at it because it makes my heart happy!!! http://narwhalsarefalling.tumblr.com/post/150521275995/some-fanart-inspired-by-this-klance-soulmate-au

**Author's Note:**

> I figured out an update schedule, and it's on my voltron tumblr (manbunkeith) ;) In the meantime, drop me a line! Every kudos and comment is motivation to finish this faster :)


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